


Musical Monday

by LadyMatt



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: A musical interval at the loft, But Not For Long!, Canon Universe, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Flirty Malec is my jam, Fluff and Humor, Happy Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Hungry Magnus even though he's just eaten, Innuendo, Insecure Alec Lightwood, M/M, Musical puns galore, POV Alec Lightwood, Puns & Word Play, Shadowhunter Alec Lightwood, Supportive Magnus Bane, They're the definition of love, Thirsty Alec even though he's tipsy, Warlock Magnus Bane, competitive boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 21:55:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14757009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMatt/pseuds/LadyMatt
Summary: In a bid to relax after their stressful jobs and keep their blissful relationship fresh and interesting, Magnus and Alec set aside one day a month to 'enjoy' the pleasure of learning a new musical instrument but, this time, will they end the night in harmony or out of tune?





	Musical Monday

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sassyweethang](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassyweethang/gifts).



> My dear giftee, I hope this humble offering brings a smile to your face, laughter to your lips and a warm and fuzzy feeling to your heart. It's the least that you deserve. XXXXXX 
> 
> Beta'd by me, just for the added pressure. :-}

There’s very little that Alec won’t do to put a smile on his boyfriend’s beautiful face, but donning a loincloth the size of a handkerchief while playing a harp, is not one of them, no matter what is dangled in front of him as a reward. He’d hesitated though, considering the generous prize on offer, but only for a second. In one of his more whimsical moods, Magnus had requested the pose as ‘one for his ‘Dirty Angel’ collection’ but Alec wasn’t about to risk it being butt-dialed to family and friends _again_. Not after the didgeridoo fiasco. Burying a smile, Magnus had understood.

At the time, they’d been deliberating which instrument to choose for what had been dubbed ‘Musical Monday’, where, in an effort to retain an element of shared discovery in their relationship, they attempted to learn a new musical skill to help them relax after their stressful days at work, but Alec had completely forgotten to count the intervening weeks until a rather chipper Magnus had enquired over dinner, ‘Tell me, Alexander, are you in the mood to stroke, blow or bang tonight?’

Alec’s snort nearly cost him his noodles, but having grown used to his partner’s predilection for seeing him blush, he quickly recovered with a sip of water before replying, ‘I hadn’t decided yet, but play your cards right and I might have enough energy for all three!’ The amused wink he received, delivered the reaction Magnus was so fond of.

‘Erotic endeavours aside, my darling dynamo, I was actually referring to which musical instrument we are going to murder after dessert,’ Magnus chuckled, polishing off the last of Alec’s delicious stir fry as he watched hazel eyes rolling in resignation.

‘I don’t know, does it matter?’ Alec moaned, ‘I’m all fingers and thumbs when it comes to playing anything anyway.’ The kiss Magnus dropped on his head as he removed their plates was appreciated but his silence did nothing for Alec’s confidence.

‘Half the fun is in finding what you’re best suited to,’ came the voice of eternal optimism in the kitchen, as Magnus collected the pineapple sundae made for two, returning with an encouraging smile and a pick-me-up sized spoon for Alec. ‘Perhaps we need to play to our strengths, so to speak.’

‘What do you mean by ‘strengths’?’ Alec mumbled through his ice cream, oblivious to how adorable he looked with a dribble of sauce stuck to his chin as he sulked.

‘I _mean_ using your long fingers for a keyboard, your strong arms for drumming, your youthful lungs for a trumpet, an impressive wingspan for the harp,’ Magnus explained, continuing quickly when Alec offered no immediate argument. ‘You have co-ordination, grace, stamina and,’ he paused, scooping the stray sauce up with a lazy finger and licking it, ‘the most perfect pair of lips to frame a mouthpiece I’ve ever had the pleasure of observing.’

That earned him a syrupy kiss.

‘We do have fun, don’t we?’ Alec admitted with a lopsided smile, graciously allowing Magnus the last few spoonfuls of dessert as he nodded in agreement. ‘I mean, I love getting to spend time with you that way, trying something neither of us has done before, but I don’t have your ability to string keys together or know what grip to use. Your hands are so dexterous they make anything look easy, whereas mine are just….clumsy,’ he lamented, lacing their fingers across the table when the bowl was empty.

‘Nonsense,’ Magnus argued gently, squeezing his hands. ‘You’re an archer, Alexander, or have you forgotten? You may not be able to swap one type of bow for another, but all those strengths I mentioned are what you use every day. We just have to apply them to the right instrument. Same goes for me.’

‘In that case, what is our weapon of choice for this evening?’ Alec joked, standing to pull Magnus into a long overdue hug.

‘How about we try something easy on the ear, considering we nearly cleared the whole building with the steel drums last time,’ Magnus suggested with a grimace, burrowing closer when Alec groaned with remembered embarrassment. ‘I know, right? Who knew the old dear downstairs had a handbag that could rival Thor’s hammer?’

‘She nearly broke my jaw, you just ducked,’ Alec grumbled accusingly, unable to resist joining in when Magnus’ giggles reverberated through his chest.

‘I apologise for my lack of gallantry in not taking one for the team, Alexander. I promise to stand firm should tonight’s efforts prove equally distressing to her, how’s that?’

Pulling back to try and judge his sincerity, Alec nodded his acceptance of the offer before claiming a thorough kiss, in lieu of a boring handshake.

Magnus let out a sigh as they parted. ‘Now that’s been agreed, back to the matter at hand. What about a ukulele? I’ve heard they’re easy to learn. Or maybe we could try the charango? Start small.’

Alec barely missed a beat as he opted for the former, not wanting to let on how unsettled he was with the alternative. If Magnus noticed his fleeting unease, he hid it well as he moved to prepare their living room for probable soundproofing.

Alec knew it was ridiculous and somewhat prideful, but he didn’t want to be compared unfavourably to Magnus’ ex, even though he knew Magnus would never be anything but supportive and complimentary of his humble efforts. He felt childish for even thinking this way but, given how ‘accomplished’ and ‘naturally gifted’ this Imasu had been, he’d decided to pass on Señor Morales’ beloved charango and try to dazzle his boyfriend with his own unique talent. Whether that involved homemade maracas or a three-tier xylophone, Alec would be damned if he didn’t learn _something_ that made Magnus fall to his knees in praise. Ok, whistle maybe. After all, better to be a first-rate sand-shaker than a second-rate charangoist. Was that even a word?

A clash of cymbals from the other room put an end to his distracting thoughts and grabbing the most potent bottle of wine he could find, along with two glasses and a fortifying breath, he entered the living room to see Magnus sitting cross-legged on the couch as he plucked experimentally at the ukulele strings.

Lifting an inquisitive brow at the selection of percussion instruments that surrounded them, Alec poured their drinks while awaiting a response.

‘I thought we might need something for back-up should this contraption confound us with its multitude of chords,’ Magnus obliged, gratefully taking a long sip of the offered beverage.

‘Magnus, it only has four strings, how hard can it be?’ Alec replied, eyes scanning the YouTube tutorial on the TV before grabbing what looked like a child’s toy guitar and taking his place at the opposite end of the couch, facing Magnus.

‘Let’s see, shall we?’ Magnus smirked, blowing him a kiss for good luck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nearly two hours and a second bottle later, having wished the instrument harm in a variety of creative ways, Alec had to concede it was, in fact, _too_ hard, even for someone as stubborn as himself. Swatting away Magnus’ many patient attempts to get him to refocus, Alec eventually put down the offending article and slumped back against the cushions, nursing his fingers, and his pride. ‘I should’ve known an instrument which means ‘jumping flea’ in Hawaiian would come back to bite me in the ass,’ he grumbled.

‘You think everything is going to bite you in the ass,’ Magnus countered, executing a perfect chord change just to rub it in.

‘On the contrary, I don’t ‘think’, I hope, and not about ‘everything’, just you!’ Alec quipped merrily, stretching out a cheeky foot to skim over his boyfriend’s crotch, with _very_ pleasing results, until his fun was curbed by a very firm grip.

‘Tempting as it is to succumb to such romantic overtures,’ declared an amused Magnus, ‘I, for one, am making progress here and seeing as this is meant to be an exercise in mutual experiences, why not expend your energies mastering the art of percussion with something else for a little while?’

The doe-eyed pout saw him cave, just as Magnus knew it would. ‘Ok, but it will probably be another disaster,’ Alec warned with a shake of his head, sitting up quickly to steal a kiss.

‘That’s the spirit,’ Magnus said brightly, blithely ignoring Alec’s pessimistic tone as he tried to tackle the tricky E chord.

With a sigh of resignation, Alec drained his glass and gamely set about tackling the array of instruments from different countries and, at first, his enthusiasm was rekindled as he managed to play a disjointed version of ‘Happy Birthday’ on the panpipes to applause from a very proud Magnus, but it didn’t last. Boredom with the djembe drum and tambourine led to frustration with the glockenspiel and harmonica until, after half an hour of nerve-shredding noise on the Scottish bagpipes, Alec said, ’Fuck this!’ and began mucking about with the hand bells and castanets, much to Magnus’ consternation.

‘Alexander, while your enthusiasm for waking the dead is adorable, in a time-for-your-nap-now-junior kind of way, it will almost certainly have Madam Ali here shortly for round two, and I would like to nail this chord before I’m too punch drunk to remember it,’ Magnus complained, only half-joking.

‘Baaaaabe, call it quits and try my bell stick,’ Alec cajoled virtually slur-free, waving what resembled a metal hairbrush between his thighs as he waggled his eyebrows and hips.

Magnus struggled to remain straight-faced. ‘Baaaabe,’ he mimicked, ‘I will gladly play Beethoven’s Ode To Joy on it using only my thighs….but later,’ ending the conversation by re-adjusting his fingers and squinting at the TV screen.

Huffing in disappointment, Alec reached for a kazoo and was about to go for broke, when a loud bang on the door made them both jump.

‘Bane, you’d better get out here! Or maybe you can’t hear me ‘cos you’re tone deaf!’’ came the deceptively frail voice of his pugilistic neighbour. ‘I warned you before, my husband needs his sleep!’

‘Shit! She sounds even scarier this time around,’ Alec whispered, flashing an apologetic look as Magnus abandoned the uke and stood up.

‘The poor man’s probably cowering under those sheets out of fear,’ Magnus muttered, smoothing a nervous hand over his crumpled shirt and squaring his shoulders. ‘This one’s for you!’ he reminded Alec before turning on his heel and heading for the poor defenceless door, stopping in the hallway to say, ‘If I lose teeth over this, I guess I’ll have to postpone trying any woodwind and brass for a while.’

‘ _Magnus!_ ’ Alec hissed, trying hard not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. ‘Don’t answer. Hit the lights and hide.’ Magnus turned, incredulous.

‘Alexander Gideon! You’ve defeated greater demons but a lesser one, whose head barely reaches your hip, has you running for cover?’ Alec nodded vigorously and stabbed a finger at the door.

‘That one, yes,’ he confirmed quietly, creeping toward Magnus like his footsteps would trigger another outburst from their unwanted visitor. ‘Plus, I’m rather partial to those lips the way they are,’ he added, pressing a full-bodied kiss to Magnus’ equally fruity mouth in an effort to persuade him.

It worked.

With a click and a flick, the doors locked and the lights went out, plunging the loft into darkness, which only added to the sense of the ridiculous. Stifling giggles and feeling like a pair of naughty teenagers hiding out from angry parents, they passed the time, rather pleasantly it has to be said, brushing lips and nuzzling cheeks until their nemesis finally took the hint and left, but not without a final hefty bang on the door.

‘That could’ve been my face,’ Magnus winced, waiting another two minutes before deeming it safe enough to snap the lights back on.

‘I’d never have allowed it,’ Alec assured him tipsily, patting his cheeks. ‘I love that face too much.’

‘Is that why you suggested we hide, my ‘Defender of Men’? Magnus chuckled, letting himself be pulled by his belt-loops in the direction of their bedroom, knowing Alec had exhausted his patience for percussion.

‘Of course!,’ Alec agreed readily, adding a finger gun. ‘Your well-being is all I care about.’

‘My hero,’ Magnus swooned, his hands clutching his chest. ‘Although, now I come to think of it, if that’s true, you were a little tardy in suggesting tactics, were you not?’ Magnus wondered, coming to a halt just inside the doorway and watching with interest how his boyfriend’s face began to resemble the brickwork behind him.

Catching the look, Alec cursed his lack of guile. ‘You were so quick to defend my honour that it took me by surprise, that’s all. Blame the Malbec for slowing me down.’

’Bullshit!,’ Magnus scoffed, a theory beginning to form in his mind. ‘To start with, you were quite happy for me to risk injury by answering the door. You only decided to intervene when I...mentioned...losing.. _teeth!_ ’

The wide eyes told him the game was up. ‘Weeeell, how can you do Beethoven’s symphony justice if there’s no woodwind and brass to enjoy?’

‘ _I knew it!_ ’ Magnus gasped in mock outrage, jabbing Alec’s chest while he laughed. ‘It wasn’t about my well-being at all, you just wanted my mouth intact for a bl-’

‘You were the one who said this is about sharing musical experiences,’ Alec insisted, playfully smothering the accusations with a bear hug that muffled everything Magnus was trying to say, and raining noisy kisses all over his head and face, while his boyfriend tried his best to break free. Or breathe, for that matter.

‘I’m no longer sure you deserve to see...my performance, Mr Lightwood,’ Magnus struggled to declare between affectionate attacks, ‘Let alone share in the...experience. Ah!’ Alec nipped his ear in reprimand. ‘After all, as a virtuoso, I’m...more than capable of bringing things to a...crescendo by myself.’

Easing his grip out of pity, Alec anchored him with arms around his waist, chuckling at the empty threat. ‘You certainly are,’ he agreed, voice deep and dirty, just how Magnus liked it. ‘Even when you think you haven’t got an audience....’

Both of them froze. _Shit!_

Eyes wide with surprise, Magnus tilted his head, a slow smile creeping across his suddenly inquisitive face. ‘Think, Alexander?’

Neither the blush or the wordless stammer helped his cause, so with a deep breath and a nervous smile, he shrugged and spilled his confession. ‘I...I didn’t mean to do it, I was already out the door, in the elevator, in fact, but I forgot my phone, came back, grabbed it from the coffee table and...and was gonna see if you’d woken up, when...’

Alec paused, caught between guilt and pleasure, both writ large across his face for Magnus to read. Yet there was no judgement, only patient expectation, giving him the confidence to be painfully honest.

‘I overheard you, what you were doing and it sounded so good, I wanted to see it for myself. Enjoy it....as much as you were,’ Alec continued with blunt honesty, eyes watching for any sign of distaste. ‘I should’ve said something, apologised, but I didn’t, so I’m saying it now. Magnus, I’m sorry for not telling you I was there, it was an invasion of your privacy and I’m not proud of it.’

Feeling lighter, but still wary of being a disappointment, Alec sighed with relief when Magnus cupped his cheek. ‘No apology needed, Alexander, because I’ve got a confession to make too,’ he replied cryptically, a mischievous grin on his face. ‘I actually knew you were there. Well, eventually.’

Alec was taken aback. ‘You did?’ Magnus tried to look apologetic but failed. ‘Why didn’t you say anything at the time?’

‘Same reason as you,’ Magnus said truthfully, leaning into him. ‘Didn’t want it to stop. It felt wonderfully wicked and incredibly sexy to watch and _be_ watched, without the other knowing. Especially when we hadn’t said good morning properly. Agreed?’

Alec’s bruising kiss confirmed he did. Even talking about it was hot. ‘When did you know I was...there?’

Magnus’ lips twitched. ‘Oh, somewhere between ‘Do it again, cowboy’ and ‘That’s how you rodeo’, I think.’

Alec’s eye roll tipped his head back. ‘Magnus, c’mon. When?’

With a fond sigh, Magnus brought his chin down again. ‘You’re very hard to miss, Alexander, even behind a six-foot houseplant that travels. Plus, you’re not as...quiet, as you think you are, my dear Shadowhunter. Should have used the soundless rune.’’

Alec felt the blush from head to toe at having been caught with his hands _literally_ down his pants, but he couldn’t stop his own mischievous grin from appearing. ‘The stealth one too, apparently,’ he shot back, now wholly unrepentant and completely turned on.

The joyful sound of Magnus’ giggle was infectious. ‘I would’ve had to be as deaf as poor Ludwig, not to hear your delicious ‘oohs and aahs.’

‘Talking of which, Maestro...’ Alec murmured, swooping to lift a startled Magnus by his pulse-shredding thighs and settle him on his hips, ’Have you decided yet if these ‘nutcrackers’ are warming up for a solo or a duet?’ A groan of self-pity was buried into his shoulder as he carried Magnus to the foot of the bed. ‘What? Not funny?’

‘Hi-larious!’ Magnus replied with dubious sincerity, his casual, ‘Love you,’ heralding those beautiful golden eyes as ring-clad fingers travelled to thread themselves in Alec’s hair.

The, ‘Love you, too,’ was followed by long kisses that proved it. Soft lips and slow tongues were mixed with sharp teeth and soothing smiles, with neither of them in a hurry to breath or open their eyes but, sadly, pins and needles wait for no man, forcing Alec to plead his case again.

‘Magnus, what’s your answer?’ he mouthed along that gracefully extended throat. ‘My fingers will be of no use to you in another five minutes when I can’t feel them and that would be a waste, wouldn’t it?’

Hooded cat eyes flipped his stomach, as did the feral smile. ‘Especially for a percussionist who wants to play all four movements of the Ninth Symphony,’ Magnus teased. ‘Know them?’

‘Sure,’ Alec stated confidently, kneeling on the bed and lowering them down gently. ‘In, out, up and down, right?’

Magnus gurgled with laughter as he shifted to accommodate Alec’s more-than-welcome weight, sliding restless hands beneath his t-shirt to feel the warm skin of his back. ‘Impressive, Alexander!’ Magnus praised, ‘I didn’t realise you had such a... _deep_ understanding of orchestral compositions from the Classical period.’

‘I dabble,’ came the throaty reply, as Alec pushed up onto his elbows and gave a lazy roll of his hips, grinning with satisfaction at the clench of Magnus’ jaw.

‘Mmm…. In that case, I’d more than welcome your participation in this evening’s performance,’ Magnus announced selflessly, matching the undulating body above him with enthusiastic ease and leaning up to kiss the smug look off those mesmerising lips.

‘That’s wonderful,’ Alec replied on a groan as polished nails carved a path to his butt and back, jingling his bell stick. ‘I await your...musical direction, Mr Bane.’

‘That’s easy,’ Magnus rasped, pushing down on Alec’s shoulders. ‘Head south and blow me like a French horn!’

 

With a lick of his lips and a generous intake of breath, Alec proceeded to obey _enfatico_ , using perfect finger placement and impressive rhythmic timing to elicit a whole medley of tunes from his boyfriend’s gorgeous body, discovering Magnus had the vocal range of a soprano when being plucked in a certain way.

By the end of their climactic chorus, and having taken it in turns to be arranged in both traditional and contemporary ways, Alec had finally discovered what ‘instrument’ he was born to play, and realised one undeniable truth.

His greatest life’s work, his Magnum Opus, would always be the love shared with this man he held tightly in his arms.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Author's Note:**

> Holding my fingers crossed that you liked it....
> 
> XXXXXX


End file.
